MBPT Spotlight: CivicScience Offers a Profile of Netflix Users

There’s no doubt that Netflix, the online streaming programming provider, has become a major threat to the traditional broadcast and cable TV networks, siphoning away viewers at a slow but steady rate.

Netflix currently has about 60 million subscribers globally and in addition to acquiring the rights of many of the more watched TV series of past years, it has also begun to pick up series that the networks have cancelled, along with creating its own original programming.

It has also made binge-watching of TV shows a popular pastime of viewers, offering viewers even more of a reason to abandon live network television.

So who are the folks that are subscribing to Netflix? CivicScience, the online polling and data analysis company, recently published a new report that provides a deep data look at Netfilx users and fans.

Overall, within the past year, Netflix has been attracting younger to middle-age viewers who spend a lot of time on social media and are influenced by social media, particularly when it comes to their electronics purchases.

Among those not yet subscribing but who have indicated a possible desire to do so, many still live at home with their parents and have lower than average incomes. They are also more likely to be women (58%) and watch far less TV via online streaming than those who recently subscribed.

As for existing long-term subscribers, they also tend to be younger, are more likely to watch most of their TV via live streaming, and are also tech savvy and keep up with the latest trends in electronics and devices. They are 36% more likely than recent subscribers to watch Netflix a few times a week.

Regarding similarities between more recent and long-term Netflix subscribers, they tend to have larger household sizes than average, although many of the younger more recent subscribers tend to have school-aged children living with them.

Based on data in the report, Netflix seems to be the biggest threat to traditional TV viewing right now, and is a major reason why more networks are cozying up to Netflix in an attempt to work with it rather than totally compete against it.

Netfllix added 4.88 million subscribers worldwide during the first quarter of 2015, more than their forecasted 4.05 million.

The poll results in the CivicScience report include data gathered from 6,189 Netflix long-term subscribers, recent subscribers and potential subscribers in the U.S. Those groups were cross-tabulated against hundreds of other questions in the CivicScience InsightStore, its online consumer research platform that mines real-time consumer opinions and custom research responses from millions of anonymous polltakers. That allowed for a comparison with all viewers.

Here’s a look at the recent Netflix subscribers.

• 51% female; 49% male
• 37% are millennials 18-34
• 61% are homeowners, but the remaining group has a high percentage of adults living with their parents
• 50% live in the suburbs
• 42% have a household income of $50,000 and under; 35% have a household income of between $50,000 and $100,000; and 23% have a household income of over $100,000.
• They are 11% more likely than average to say their highest level of education is an associate or bachelor’s degree
• 24% more likely to be parents and 52% more likely to have school-aged children living with them
• 38% more likely to have 4 or more people living in their current household

When compared to the average U.S. adult, recent Netflix subscribers are:
• Over 2 times as likely to follow trends and current events in the TV or movie industry very closely
• 68% more likely to say they primarily watch TV via online streaming
• 67% more likely to spend an average of 4 hours on social media each day
• 42% watch Netflix a few times a week
• 40% more likely to actively visit YouTube daily or weekly
• 40% more likely to go to the movies at least once a month
• 23% more like to stream music online
• 57% more likely to say social media influences their electronics purchases
• 14% more likely to own a tablet

Here’s a look at long-term Netflix subscribers when compared to the average U.S. adult:
• 51% female, 49% male
• 46% are millennials
• Are 27% more likely to rent and 30% more likely to still live with their parents
• 16% more likely to have an associate or bachelor’s degree
• 21% more likely to be parents but not grandparents. Also 32% more likely to have school-aged children living with them
• 31% more likely to have 4 or more people living in their household
• 38% more likely to follow trends and current events in electronics and technology
• 36% more likely to own a eReader
• 27% more likely to say they are addicted to digital devices
• 25% more likely to own a smartphone
• 21% more likely to own a tablet
• Over 2 times as likely to say they primarily watch TV via online streaming
• 57% watch Netflix a few times a week
• 45% more likely to stream music online
• 40% more likely to go to the movies at least once a month
• 38% more likely to visit YouTube daily or weekly
• 29% more likely to spend an average 1 to 4 hours on social media each day
• 25% more likely to closely follow trends and current events in the TV and movie industry

Here’s a profile of potential Netflix subscribers (those who say they are interested in subscribing):
• 58% female; 42% male
• 38% of those who would like to sign up are millennials, which is 27% more than average
• 2 times as likely to live with their parents
• 25% more likely to have a household income under $25,000.
• 35% more likely to have a high school diploma
• 18% more likely not to have children

When compared to the average U.S. adult, potential Netflix subscribers are:
• 65% more likely to closely follow trends and current events in the TV and movie industry
• 58% more likely to spend an average 2-plus hours on social media each day
• 38% more likely to actively visit YouTube daily or weekly
• 23% more likely to stream music online
• 36% more likely to own an eReader
• 33% more likely to say social media influences their electronics purchases
• 27% more likely to closely follow trends and current events in electronics and technology

CivicScience says this report presents a clearer picture of Netflix subscribers than studies which merely gather information on what people watch and how they are watching which often does not provide a clear view into viewers’ preferences of streaming services. Viewer data may also not be able to help predict who future subscribers might be. However this report concentrated specifically on Netflix subscribers and potential subscribers

It should be of interest to both the TV networks and marketers. The report gives the TV networks a glimpse at exactly what types of viewers are defecting to Netflix. And while Netflix does not sell advertising, marketers can also use the information in this report to benefit them when they are making TV buys, by giving them insight into what types of viewers the TV networks are not satisfying with their programming.